The "king" of a drugs gang who imported millions of pounds worth of cocaine has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Helios Nanaj, 37, of Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, London, was found guilty at Gloucestershire Crown Court of importing and supplying drugs.
Judge Rupert Lowe said he was the “big boss” and “the mastermind” of the gang.
Gloucestershire Police said it was the region's "biggest" drug prosecution and had a huge impact on crime levels. Nanaj was found guilty on December 7 of four counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled class A drug and one count of conspiracy to import drugs.
Originally from albania, he Ran a wide-ranging criminal network that imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine Into The uK and distributed the illegal drugs In gloucestershire and across the country using multiple couriers and safe houses.
The court heard that Nanaj entered the UK illegally in the back of a lorry when he was 15 and, in his boast, said he had been involved in organised crime for 20 years.
Sentencing Nanaj earlier, Judge Lowe said: “Turning to organised crime in your adopted country was a foolish and dangerous way to provide for yourself and your family, apart from being morally wrong.
"You're putting your family at risk of losing you – it's your own fault they lost you for so long."
Inspector Matt Phillips, from Gloucestershire Police's serious and organised crime unit, said: 'We believe this represents the largest drugs prosecution in Gloucestershire.
“The removal of someone like Mr. Nanaj really has an impact on the drugs available locally and we have indeed seen an increase in drug prices as a result of his arrest.
"He was a really important player, he could arrange the importation of two hundred kilos of drugs at a time and distribute them."
"Within the UK we would say there aren't too many people above him."
Det Insp Phillips said: "Evidence suggests he was supplying probably over 500kg of cocaine and at one point was complaining that he had £1.6million and could not move abroad as a result."
The operation to uncover Nanaj's drugs network began locally when police arrested a Gloucestershire dealer with 2kg of cocaine, Det Insp Phillips said.
"When the courier was arrested, we found an encrypted EncroChat phone and it was then a major discovery working with the National Crime Agency which identified Mr Nanaj as the ringleader or Kingpin as you like."
The local dealer who used to connect Nanaj with his business was Dhimitri Gjini, who was arrested on 8 May 2020 with over £60,000 in possession after supplying 2kg of cocaine in Gloucester. He was later jailed for over 10 years. Police were able to connect Nanaj with an Encrochat phone because he requested the personal address of “Boboku”. Nanaj would later tell contacts that it was his nickname for his five-year-old son.
Det Insp Phillips explained that Nanaj "liked the finer things in life" and searches of his home - which overlooked the Thames in Wandsworth - found it filled with designer clothes and shoes worth £40,000.
Nanaj Claimed to be a construction worker and the messages show he was trying to get his money to Amsterdam or back to Albania.
In court, he claimed that he was used by other criminals to hold their phones and send the messages when they wanted, which is why the phone records always showed the phones with him.
But the jury did not believe him and found him guilty of his crimes.
